The Rev. Danny Haas relies on life experiences to lead a church as diverse as York First Assembly of God.

There was the rough beginning. Haas grew up in Queens, N.Y. as a troubled kid, the victim of abuse at a young age.

"It made me not want to have anything to do with the church because it came from within the church," Haas said. "That derailed me until I was 18 or 19."

Then there were the years spent on the road, ministering every weekend to the downtrodden. Haas did road preaching from 1998 to 2000, and again from 2006 to 2008.

It made him a better pastor, he said. Today, when one of the eight York First pastors talks to Haas about preaching opportunities, he sends them to soup kitchens, prisons and hospitals to hone their craft.

Children, at left, lead singing in the new children's sanctuary at First Assembly of God in Manchester Township. The large open area was made by gutting three classrooms. (YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL)

"If you can minister to the worst of the worst, you can minister to anybody," Haas said. "It doesn't really matter."

Finally, Haas draws family and faith strength from his wife, Lisa, who serves several pastoral roles at York First, and their four children.

That experience is serving Haas well as he leads the Manchester Township church through a period of noteworthy growth. Noteworthy because while many churches are struggling to maintain membership, York First officials say they are adding to their congregation. Attendance is about 475 between the two services, Haas said. In 2010, York First averaged 335.

Much of that growth is in the form of black and Spanish members making the trip from the city to attend York First. As a result, the church added an international pastor and a Spanish pastor in the past year.

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According to U.S. Census data, the Hispanic population in York County increased by 115 percent from 2000 to 2010, and another 3 percent in 2011. York First is one of several churches reporting an increase in Hispanic attendees.

"Because Pastor Danny is so involved in the York Community, over the last three years the demographics of our congregation have expanded to be a more accurate representation of the York area," said Ken Saxe, business administrator for the church.

Haas leads York First in city outreach efforts every month, from prison ministry to "Kitchen of Hope," which feeds and clothes the needy. Every summer, the church hosts a back-to-school bash, which includes food, entertainment, festival games, free school supplies, backpacks and hair cuts.

The growth has church leaders preparing for additional expansion and renovation of the Susquehanna Trail facilities. They are also looking into a second church site within the city.

"Pastor Danny's vision for York First Assembly is to be a life-giving church and to minister to the needs of everyone in the York Community," Saxe added.

Early troubles

Haas said he was abused when he was in fourth, fifth and sixth grades. By the time he got to high school, he was an angry kid who got into fights and cursed at teachers. He dabbled in drugs.

Children's pastor Jeff Voshall, left, talks with children in the new children's church at First Assembly of God in Manchester Township. (YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL)

Sent to juvenile reform school for much of his junior and senior years, Haas graduated in June 1993. About a month later, Haas said God appeared to him in a vision "so real I thought I was hallucinating." The message was for Haas to get a plan for life.

"As soon as the vision was over, I got on my knees on my bed and said, 'God, if this is real, I'm ready to serve you,'" he recalled.

In September 1993, Haas enrolled in Zion Bible Institute in Barrington, R.I. The school changed its name to Northpoint Bible College in January.

It was a difficult transition, Haas said, especially in the first year. In high school, he regularly failed tests and never read a book cover-to-cover.

"Before going to Bible school, I was never a studious kind of guy," he said. "Going to Bible school was a big step of faith, but I knew that was where I was supposed to be."

Haas graduated in December 1996 with a bachelor's degree in ministry. A month later, he moved to York during a "huge blizzard" to do an internship at an area church. To pay the bills, he pumped gas in Emigsville, and did social work for Shadowfax.

He and Lisa married not long after. Their first child arrived in 1999, during a time when Haas was traveling, writing music and leading youth ministry as an itinerant preacher.

Chance meeting

Back in York in the summer of 2000, Haas ran into the Rev. Dwayne L. Campbell at the former Marcello's Pizza on White Street in York.

The two were familiar with one another through some ministry work in the city. They exchanged contact information, and that led to Haas becoming a youth pastor at York First in November 2000.

Lisa joined the staff as well and the couple settled in, having three more children over the next decade. In 2006, Haas went back on the road, splitting his schedule between York First and traveling.

In 2008, Haas became the church's full-time outreach pastor.Two years later, Campbell retired and Haas was named senior pastor.

"When Pastor Danny became the senior pastor, he was like no other pastor I had ever met before," said Saxe, a member of York First since 2004. "His energy and heart for others are contagious. And he makes everyone around him feel accepted, comfortable and welcomed -- regardless of your past or present situations."

Many York First changes are in the works

The changes are already under way at York First.

In October, the church board rolled out a makeover that included informally renaming the church "York First" on the website and most correspondence. The new moniker represents a re-branding for First Assembly of God, which remains the official name.

A new children's sanctuary opened for Easter and includes a slide for kids to enter the room in style. It will eventually include video game stations and box-like seating.

The Rev. Danny Haas envisions an expansion of the entrance area, complete with big-screen televisions to greet visitors, and eventually a new sanctuary.

But the biggest potential move is still in the discussion phase. The idea of adding a city campus came when Haas realized how many Spanish and black worshippers attended York First regularly.

"I found there were Hispanic people coming here who don't even understand English," he said.

Haas said Assembly of God leaders have asked him three times to plant a city church, and each time he has demurred. Now, he says the time might be right. He wants York First to focus more on a three-mile radius around the church.

"It's not how can we change a church and the people who come in our building, but how can we change a community," he said.

Sharon Washington of Spring Garden Township has attended York First "off and on" for 23 years. She said the church is "exploding" with growth and credits Haas.

"He is an approachable, accessible pastor and that just flows throughout the whole church," she said. "He's so real. He never makes you feel like he's above."

York First is packed with programs, Washington added, which keeps everybody busy, especially the youth.

"It's a church where we have so much fun. And that makes a lot of difference," she said. "We have so much fun in our services, but along with that, Pastor Danny stretches you and tests you as a Christian, too."

A slide gives children the option of sliding into children's church at First Assembly of God in Manchester Township. ( YORK DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - PAUL KUEHNEL)